Creativity

By Robert van Rixtel14-04-2018

In the ‘creativity’ issue of the Volkskrant Magazine of 14 April 2018, 10 leading designers give their views on the theme of Creativity.

1. Mirko BorscheGerman designer of, among others, ZEITMagazin, Nike and Bavarian State Oper.
‘Being creative must be something causing happiness. What I want in particular is to entertain people. Magazines are about entertaining: graphic design is not a serious art form, but it most of all something playful and fun.’

3. David CarsonAmerican graphic designer of the legendary magazine Raygun.
‘Creativity is hard to explain. It comes from a unique place that somewhere deep inside all of us. For this cover I made many versions. I felt the best about this one. Surfing is an important part of my life. The image on the background is me: surfing near my house in the Caribbean. I paint with letters and images. Creativity comes when we allow ourselves to use our life history. I have never made such a cover before. It reflects the past, but also the future that is unknown to us.’

4. Jaap Biemans & Anna KiosseArt director Volkskrant Magazine and Anna is the up-and-coming multi-talent from Germany.
Biemans: ‘Stop babbling about getting inspiration from slouching. The best designs are created by simply starting at 9 am with a strong cup of coffee in your hand. Then forget about the prevailing mores and go as far as possible to find the edges. There’s already enough flaccid design. In English it sounds so tasty: ‘Design is about kicking ass not kissing ass.’

5. Paul FaassenDutch illustrator, known for his image column and the many award-winning covers for Volkskrant Magazine.
‘I start every commission with a blank sheet and simple thoughts about the subject. In this case, for example: Creation is making ‘something out of ‘nothing’. Ideas that then emerge are discarded again. So it didn’t take long before there was a rejected sketch as a wad of paper under my nose. But when is something a failure or a success? I wanted to turn the failure into a successful design.’

6. Anthony Burrill & Ewoudt BoonstraEnglish designer, well-known for the Work Hard and be Nice to People posters. Boonstra is a Dutch art director and director.
‘There is an expression in the creative world saying that ‘you are as good as your latest work’. That may explain the constant visual deluge that overwhelms us. After all, you never know whether your new work is ‘good enough’ for your self-imposed standard. This vulnerable position leaves us no option but to sharpen our pencils and plough on under the adage: Make New Work.’

7. George LoisAmerican art director, known for his characteristic covers of the American Esquire from the 1960s that the Museum of Modern Art in New York included in its permanent collection.
‘Use your creativity as a weapon. That’s a militant challenge to creatives all over the world to fight together and defend our democracy. On this cover the photographer Platon portrayed me as a Greek hero and provocateur. Someone who believes that truth is more important than power. This image requires a courageous creativity. We have to prevent the growth of an irrational, anxious, demagogic and racist hate that is spreading like a wildfire across America and the rest of the free world.’

8. Richard TurleyThe always critical art director of Bloomberg Businessweek, MTV and now design agency Wieden Kennedy in New York.
‘The only way for me to do justice to the theme was an attempt to put myself in the mind and body of a well-known designer. I chose the designer Jonathan Ives. I imagined the moment before he picks up his ‘revolutionary’ Apple Pencil to show us the unrestricted limitations of his inner landscape.’

9. Erik KesselsOf the high-profile advertising agency KesselsKramer.
‘Creativity knows no logic. It is a random process moving into in all directions. Playing, laughing, confusing, failing and getting up again . Constantly thinking that you are not up to the job, summoning up the courage again and again and telling yourself as often as possible that your intuition is right. It is delightful and terrible at the same time.’

10. Rodrigo SanchezRenowned art director of the Spanish magazine Metropoli.
‘Creativity is working hard, sweating, suffering and making mistakes. Especially many mistakes. Hence the wads of paper. These are all failed ideas. But creativity is fed by failures.’